Field of the Invention
At least one embodiment of the invention relates to a device, a system and a method for communication with an implantable medical device.
Description of the Related Art
Typically, implantable medical devices (IMD) used for delivering a therapy or monitoring a physiologic condition of a human may collect and store various data such as diagnostic, therapy and device status data. Generally, to make the data available to a patient, a physician or a health care provider, such devices may include a telemetry unit to transmit these data to a device that is located externally of the body. The external device, generally, may be for example a patient device, a medical device programmer or a relay device that forwards the data to a remote server or database. Typically, to enable a data communication from an IMD to an external device, various technologies may be employed. Communication using radio frequency (RF) transmission and reception is most often used, as the external device may be in a distance up to several meters. The drawback of this technology, generally, is the high demand of energy for the communication. Typical alternatives with lower energy demand for communication often include techniques based on acoustic transmission or conductive connection using the body as conductor, which are particularly advantageous for IMD having limited energy, such as implantable sensors or in general small IMDs. The drawback of using such technologies, generally, is the need of a close contact between an external reception or transmission device and the patient's skin. For example, typically, to enable acoustic communication, a transducer needs to be placed with minimum pressure on the skin of the patient. Similarly, to enable conductive communication, typically, electrodes need to be placed with minimum pressure on the skin of the patient. Generally, this may complicate the use of the device, may limit the patient's comfort during use, and may also impact the acceptance of such technologies by the patients. An example for an acoustic communication unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,859. An example for a conductive communication unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,016.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved device, system and method for communication with an implantable medical device. Particularly, there is a need for a device, system and method for communication with an implantable medical device that improves patient comfort during use.